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Francis Ngannou backed following monumental PFL deal: ‘Many others would have bent to the system’

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santo commended Francis Ngannou for sticking to his guns and making a deal that not only benefitted him but the whole of the sport. ‘The Predator’ made his blockbuster announcement on Tuesday, revealing that after months of negotiations and secrecy, he had signed on the dotted line with the […]

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santo commended Francis Ngannou for sticking to his guns and making a deal that not only benefitted him but the whole of the sport.

‘The Predator’ made his blockbuster announcement on Tuesday, revealing that after months of negotiations and secrecy, he had signed on the dotted line with the Professional Fighters League. Aside from securing himself a big bag of cash, Ngannou advocated for his opponents and fighters under the PFL banner. The Cameroonian will also be the chairman of the promotion’s latest expansion, PFL Africa.

Congratulating Francis Ngannou on his historic deal is former opponent Junior dos Santo. During an appearance on MMA Fighting’s Portuguese-language podcast, Trocação Franca, ‘Cigano’ was proud of the way Ngannou got exactly what he was looking for, not only for himself but for the betterment of mixed martial arts.

JDS Says Francis Ngannou Should Be Congratulated For Ground-Breaking Deal

“Ngannou’s actions are admirable because you know for sure it comes from a person that has values and won’t change those values for small gifts of whatever it may be,” dos Santos said. “Why did anything like this never happen before? Because people focus on themselves first. [They say], ‘I’ll get something for me and screw the rest.’ It didn’t feel that way with Francis Ngannou. It felt important for him to make a difference…

“Honestly, I don’t care to know how much he’s making, what really matters is that it’s being done, and it’s being done in such a cool way,” dos Santos continued. “The least we can do is congratulate Francis Ngannou for his actions and for sticking to them. Many others would have bent to the system like we’ve seen many times before. He wanted it on his terms, and he’s doing it on his terms (h/t MMA News).

"The PFL is a special organization that puts fighters ?????" – @francis_ngannou

Go behind the scenes of the biggest MMA signing in history pic.twitter.com/aiuWrHnzGL

— PFL (@PFLMMA) May 17, 2023

Francis Ngannou and JDS squared off inside the Octagon in 2019. The Predator’ was coming off back-to-back losses against Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis when the two heavyweight superstars met. Ngannou scored a 71-second knockout of dos Santos which would be the beginning of a five-fight losing streak for JDS.

Ngannou is expected to make his first Smart Cage appearance in 2024 following his professional boxing debut which is expected to occur before 2023 comes to a close.

Ciryl Gane Responds To Dos Santos’ ‘Dirty Fighter’ UFC Paris Diss

Former UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane feels that Junior dos Santos was out of line with his post-UFC Paris tweet disparaging him. Gane defeated Tai Tuivasa via a third-round knockout at UFC Paris last Saturday. After getting dropped in the…

Continue Reading Ciryl Gane Responds To Dos Santos’ ‘Dirty Fighter’ UFC Paris Diss at MMA News.

Following UFC Paris, JDS Again Blasts “Dirty Fighter” Ciryl Gane

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos wasn’t impressed by Ciryl Gane’s tactics against Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris. Gane defeated Tuivasa via a third-round knockout after getting dropped in Round 2 of the fight. He finished Tuivasa…

Continue Reading Following UFC Paris, JDS Again Blasts “Dirty Fighter” Ciryl Gane at MMA News.

Junior dos Santos says Ciryl Gane is a ‘dirty fighter’ for blatantly illegal hammer fist on Tai Tuivasa

Ciryl Gane brought Tai Tuivasa’s streak to an end in impressive fashion at UFC Paris. Still, some people, including former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos, believe the French star got away with a rather egregious illegal strike. In the final minute of the third round, Gane landed a beautiful right that rocked Tai Tuivasa. […]

In the final minute of the third round, Gane landed a beautiful right that rocked Tai Tuivasa. Smelling blood in the water, Gane started to unload strikes. He landed three more shots, but the fourth one got the most attention. Gane delivered a vicious hammer fist to the back of Tuivasa’s head. As stated in the Unified Rules of MMA, strikes to the back of the head or neck are illegal. This prompted some fans to question why the fight wasn’t paused at that point, but fans were not the only ones calling out Gane for the “dirty” shot.

Former Ciryl Gane opponent, Junior dos Santos was quite upset with what Gane appeared to get away with and called out the fighter on Twitter.

“What a dirty fighter this Gane is,” dos Santos wrote on Twitter. “Again hitting the back of the head. And now what are those ‘fight experts’ will say about it?”

Ciryl Gane Was Accused of a Similarly Illegal Strike in 2020

At UFC 256, Junior dos Santos faced Ciryl Gane in what would be the final fight of his UFC career. On that night, Gane landed an elbow that suspiciously looked like a shot to the back of the head. The blow immediately dropped JDS and the referee immediately stepped in. Fans called out Ciryl Gane for what seemed like an obvious illegal strike, but nothing came of the backlash and Gane continued to climb the heavyweight ranks.

December 12, 2020

UFC 256

In traditional HW matchmaking, Gane had to take out an older man.

TKOs Junior Dos Santos in Rd 2.

UFC did JDS dirty pic.twitter.com/QXIXMR14uy

— Ocelot MMA (@Ocelot_MMA) August 30, 2022

With that being the former heavyweight champion’s fourth straight loss, Junior dos Santos was handed his walking papers, something that he was understandably upset with after years of loyal service.

“I reacted with surprise, [and] I was a little bit impressed by the coldness of how they treated the case,” dos Santos told MMA Fighting. “I know it’s a business, [but] they just don’t care. The history we did in there and everything else, the dedication and how everything have always played out, was totally disregarded.”

JDS also revealed in the interview that the UFC didn’t even contact him directly to inform him of his release. He found out through Dan Lambert, the founder of American Top Team where ‘Cigano’ trains.

“The UFC didn’t even talk to me. For example, [UFC President] Dana White, I haven’t talked to him in years. Not to ask anything or know anything. They didn’t even talk to me. [UFC] texted Dan [Lambert] of American Top Team, and it got to me that their decision was to release me from my contract.”

Fedor Emelianenko Plays Down Potential Super Fight With JDS

MMA pioneer, Fedor Emelianenko, has stated that he is no longer interested in a fight with Junior dos Santos. Following his release from the UFC, former heavyweight champion, dos Santos, was signed to Eagle FC, an MMA promotion founded and promoted by Khabib Nurmagomedov. Along with the announcement, a promotional debut was booked for dos […]

MMA pioneer, Fedor Emelianenko, has stated that he is no longer interested in a fight with Junior dos Santos.

Following his release from the UFC, former heavyweight champion, dos Santos, was signed to Eagle FC, an MMA promotion founded and promoted by Khabib Nurmagomedov. Along with the announcement, a promotional debut was booked for dos Santos to face fellow UFC alum, Yorgan De Castro, a bout which took place on May 20.

The fight was going well ‘JDS’, controlling the contest throughout using his superior striking while De Castro. Then, in the third round, dos Santos, while throwing a right hand appeared to dislocate his shoulder, which forced the referee to stop the fight, awarding De Castro a stoppage victory.

Prior to the bout, Nurmagomedov had brought up the prospect of a potential fight between dos Santos and former Pride heavyweight champion, Fedor Emelianenko.

Even with the loss, Nurmagomedov was still hopeful that a bout between the two heavyweights could be made, especially due the circumstances surrounding dos Santos’s loss.

“I think it’s still viable because even if he lost, Junior looked amazing,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Underground. ”Everybody see tonight, he’s improved a lot and he was looking amazing. And I think it’s still interesting.”

Fedor Emelianenko Not Interested In JDS

Although many felt that dos Santos was hard done by in his last fight, Emelianenko seems unsympathetic and any hope for matchup is dwindling. Talking to Russian media outlet, Okko, ‘The Last Emperor’ shared his thought and it’s not looking for MMA fans.

“A meeting was planned with Scott Coker [Bellator President], but as I understand it, Scott and I are not interested in this fight with Junior dos Santos. First of all, because of the defeat of the latter [Dos Santos].

Emelianenko, aged 45, is currently signed with Bellator, most recently making an appearance for the promotion in October 2021, knocking out Tim Johnson in Moscow, Russia.

Khabib Nurmagomedov discussing Fedor Emelianenko Vs. Junior dos Santos

Would you have liked to see Fedor Emelianenko Vs? Junior dos Santos?

Fedor Shuts Down Cross-Promotion Fight With Junior Dos Santos

Fedor Emelianenko has shut down the idea of a possible cross-promotional fight between himself and Junior dos Santos. Eagle FC owner and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov recently expressed interest in a fight between the two heavyweights leading up to dos Santos’s Eagle FC debut in May. That main event bout between Yorgan De…

Continue Reading Fedor Shuts Down Cross-Promotion Fight With Junior Dos Santos at MMA News.

Fedor Emelianenko has shut down the idea of a possible cross-promotional fight between himself and Junior dos Santos.

Eagle FC owner and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov recently expressed interest in a fight between the two heavyweights leading up to dos Santos’s Eagle FC debut in May. That main event bout between Yorgan De Castro and dos Santos ended when the former UFC heavyweight champion injured his shoulder early in the third round.

In an interview with Russia media outlet Okko, Emelianenko indicated that the result of that fight took some appeal away from a potential matchup between himself and the Brazilian.

“A meeting was planned with Scott Coker. But, as I understand it, Scott and I are not interested in this fight with Junior dos Santos. First of all, because of the defeat of the latter.”

Junior dos Santos suffered a loss in his Eagle FC debut after sustaining a shoulder injury. (Eagle FC)

“Cigano” was ahead on the scorecards heading into the third round of the fight at Eagle FC 47 before dislocating his shoulder just over 30 seconds into the final round. De Castro subsequently left the cage as the winner, and the 38-year-old dos Santos suffered his first loss since leaving the UFC and fifth in a row overall.

Fedor Emelianenko has been competing for Bellator since 2017 and has gone 4-2 during his time in the promotion. The 45-year-old is currently on a two-fight win streak after first-round knockouts of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Tim Johnson.

“The Last Emperor” suffered his most recent loss when he challenged Ryan Bader for the Bellator heavyweight championship in 2019. Emelianenko currently has one-fight remaining on his Bellator contract, and he’s indicated a desire to challenge Bader again for the title in what could also end up being his retirement fight.

Considered by many to be one of the greatest fighters of all time, Junior dos Santos recently named Emelianenko as his GOAT of heavyweight MMA.

What do you think of Fedor Emelianenko’s comments that a fight with Junior dos Santos has lost its appeal?

Continue Reading Fedor Shuts Down Cross-Promotion Fight With Junior Dos Santos at MMA News.